<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>reign on me by unbalancedlove</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516086">reign on me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbalancedlove/pseuds/unbalancedlove'>unbalancedlove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, M/M, Modern Royalty, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, side jensung, side johnil, sort of a princess diaries au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:42:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbalancedlove/pseuds/unbalancedlove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>captain mark lee of the royal guard has three simple tasks: bring lee donghyuck to the palace, transform him from a college student into a crown prince, and protect him at all costs.</p><p>reluctant crown prince lee donghyuck has one simple goal: turn mark lee's life into hell.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>309</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>reign on me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello!!!!! welcome to rom!!!!!!!!! im excited to finally post this after 2 months of teasing on twitter haha if youre more curious about this au you can read more about it <a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/1297451471823425537">here</a>!</p><p>i've called this a princess diaries au but the setting is mostly inspired by modern monarchy kdramas, particularly goong, my princess, and the king.</p><p>thank you so much rian for helping me through this monster of a fic, bouncing off plot points with you is so so much fun and your advice and ideas are invaluable. youre my fic guardian angel 💚💚💚</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>seoul royal conservatory. </p><p>the oldest and most exclusive music school in the country, nestled in the quieter, northern side of the city. mark can only imagine the work it took lee donghyuck to be able to attend on a full scholarship. </p><p>he pictures him as earnest and nerdy, soft spoken and focused on his studies and the piano. it’s a reassuring mental image. he can’t be that difficult to handle.</p><p>it’s been forever since mark has been on a college campus, and he pulls his black coat closer to his chest and avoids the curious stares from passing students. shit, he tried to dress casually to fit in with these kids. does he really stand out that much?</p><p>the worst part of his mission is that he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about it, and as he sat down for dinner the previous night, his brain brewing up a storm of dark thoughts and a million ways that the king’s plan could go wrong, he had to dodge every question from jeno and jisung, who only grew more worried.</p><p>mark inhales a long breath of fresh air before stepping into the building. he forgot what it’s like to be somewhere that isn’t in a constant state of mourning.</p><p>he finds the piano practice rooms easily enough, and a very tiny boy carrying a cello case his own size tells him lee donghyuck is always in room 127. mark thanks him and, out of genuine concern, offers to carry the instrument. the boy gives him the stare equivalent of being stabbed in the chest before turning away wordlessly.</p><p>the dark cloud in mark’s mind clears when he hears it.</p><p>chopin’s etude op. 25 no. 11, winter wind. </p><p>he’s sitting at the edge of his bench, back slouched, eyes closed as his fingers danced around the keys. lee donghyuck has long legs that hung awkwardly between his seat and the floor. his hair is a pretty shade of caramel, curly and overgrown, half of it haphazardly tied into a bun while the rest curtained his sun kissed face. his black jeans, loose band t-shirt, and chains hanging off his neck are at odds with the grand piano he is playing.</p><p>anything but soft and nerdy.</p><p>“that was beautiful,” mark says very stupidly, startling donghyuck. they stare at each other, and donghyuck gives him an up and down look that makes him more nervous than he was on his first day of basic military training, like he is desperate to meet his approval.</p><p>and then donghyuck grins.</p><p>“it better be, or else they wouldn’t let me in here.”</p><p>mark doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he lets out a strangled ugly chortle. the amusement from his face doesn’t waver.</p><p>“are you some kind of assassin?” donghyuck asks, still grinning. his eyes don’t show a hint of fear, not because he doesn’t actually think mark is an assassin but because he believes he can take him on. “fuck, i knew jaemin played dirty, but this is too far even for him.”</p><p>“what makes you think that?” mark asks, forgetting that he should be denying the ridiculous accusation first. he put extra effort into looking normal this morning! jisung said he didn’t feel the urge to run when he walked in his direction!</p><p>“for starters, you’re wearing sunglasses indoors.”</p><p>right.</p><p>“black from head to toe, the boots, that undercut? if you’re dressed like this out of your own volition then i’d be seriously worried.”</p><p>“more than you would if i came here to kill you?” mark could, theoretically, do just that with his bare hands and leave no evidence. but he had the common sense not to let donghyuck know that. for now.</p><p>“i’ve lived through worse,” donghyuck shrugs. “what’s a sexy assassin coming in to break my fingers so that asshole na jaemin can take over my spot at the upcoming recital?”</p><p>mark turns red and stares at his assassin boots. “a–anyway, you probably already know the actual reason i’m here,” he says, because he doesn’t know how else to address it. </p><p>“do i?”</p><p>“your mother must have discussed it with you already,” he adds awkwardly. surely she must have told him about his father’s death at the very least, right? he checks his watch. “let’s talk about it over lunch.”</p><p>donghyuck’s expression shifts into something indecipherable. mark is scared again. “ah, now i understand.” </p><p> </p><p>♡♡♡</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>one day earlier</em> </b>
</p><p>meetings with head court lady bae are never a good sign.</p><p>“hyung, are you nervous?” jisung asks. his tone is cheery but mark understands it’s not malicious. jisung’s just excited all the time. “you shouldn’t be. i mean, it’s you. you never do anything wrong. if it was jeno hyung, howev–”</p><p>“so what if it was me?” jeno barks. “i’m not the one who tripped and almost toppled his highness over. youngest in the squad’s history and for what–”</p><p>his subordinates’ bickering is as lively as ever, but the palace grounds still feel somber, heavy and quiet under the weight of its recent loss. mark and the rest of the royal guard did their morning drills against the backdrop of the eight hundred year old palace covered in snow, the staff shuffling around them quietly with their heads hung low.</p><p>it’s been a week since the crown prince’s death.</p><p>“can you guys not be so loud?” mark rubs his temple. he’s barely been sleeping these days, plagued by his responsibilities and this strange, unrelenting sense of impending doom. “my headache is bad as it is.”</p><p>jisung nods at jeno. “he’s nervous.”</p><p>“it’s okay, hyung!” jeno softens, patting his back. “it’s like that idiot said, you have nothing to worry about. lady bae <em> loves </em> you, or as much as lady bae can like a person.”</p><p>“overdoing it now,” jisung says flatly, and jeno smacks the back of his head.</p><p>“i’m not nervous,” he says sharply. if there is anything he hates, it’s people perceiving his weaknesses. lady bae doesn’t scare him, his heart pace just quickens whenever her eyes meet his and not in a good way. “i just have a really, really bad feeling, is all.”</p><p> </p><p>mark’s not naive. he knows a lot of people would kill to have his life and upbringing.</p><p>but that doesn’t mean it was easy.</p><p>growing up in the palace, following around his late father and staying close to the royal family was a privilege even the country’s elite didn’t have access to. he was present for king taeil’s coronation in the courtyard when he was fifteen, he fell and scraped his leg running around the west garden at age seven, he got lost and climbed a tree in the forest surrounding the crown prince’s quarters just shy of his fifth birthday.</p><p>but that only meant the gravity of everything that happened around him hit a million times harder. mark can’t forget the night crown prince taeyong learned about his heart condition and he saw the light draining from his eyes for the first time in his life. it was kept a secret from the public for years, and he carried that burden with him, heavy on his heart, up until he drew his last breath.</p><p>an entire nation’s sorrow sat on his chest.</p><p> </p><p>it feels weird, being in the crown prince’s quarters after he’s gone.</p><p>the west complex belonged to him entirely, and during prince taeyong’s stay, he made drastic changes to it. the new main building was only five years old and resembled a greenhouse more than it did a royal residence. the living room was lush and green, and the prince’s beloved plants surrounded his mismatched colorful furniture. every couch and tea table was from a different country and came with a fun little backstory. mark expects him to walk into the room with a small animal in his arms any second.</p><p>“p–prime minister kim,” mark’s eyes widen as he takes a seat across from him and lady bae. he and kim doyoung seldom crossed paths, only exchanging polite greetings at formal events or the occasional curt nod when he visits the palace. of course the head court lady didn’t find it important to mention that, oh yeah, the fucking prime minister is joining their meeting. </p><p>“you look surprised to see me,” the prime minister observes. “joohyun, did you not tell him i was going to sit in on your conversation?”</p><p>“don’t call me that,” she says. mark is baffled, he’s only ever heard prince taeyong and king taeil use that name. “mark, i’m sure you already know what we’re here to talk to you about.”</p><p>it wasn’t hard to guess. whispers about this topic had been swirling around before prince taeyong’s body was even cold. he gulps and nods. </p><p>“the heir has been chosen,” court lady bae announces. “and before i proceed any further, i need you to understand that this was the king’s choice and he stands firmly by it. him and that– <em> american</em>.”</p><p>it’s what she begrudgingly calls john suh, as if he hadn’t been married to the king for nearly five years now. her crypticness is confusing, because mark had long figured one of their distant cousins would be next in line, as much as he and the rest of the people close to the king hated the idea.</p><p>after the death of their parents, taeil and taeyong became the only surviving members of the direct family. taeil married a man despite strong pushback while his younger brother remained single or at least, he never had a relationship that mark was aware of. needless to say, people outside the palace with loose ties to the family had been clawing for an opportunity to take his place forever.</p><p>“his highness had been wary of malicious entities taking over,” doyoung explains further. “so he was forced to make a very difficult decision.”</p><p>mark is at the edge of his seat, would they just fucking say it already?</p><p>instead, he nods again. “i’m sure his highness made the right choice.”</p><p>lady bae hesitates before pulling out an envelope and sliding it across the table.</p><p>“only six people in the world know the information inside this envelope,” she says softly. “five now that–”</p><p>she stops there, her eyes downcast. it’s only then that mark notices how frail she looks, skin to bones, darkness under her eyes, her voice missing the usual strength he’d always found so comforting.</p><p>his heart is thumping when he takes it in his hands. his exhaustion and deep, piercing feeling of dread are only magnified. mark is sure that what ever is in there, he’s not ready to process it just yet.</p><p>the first thing he pulls out is a photocopy of a passport. lee donghyuck, born on june 6th 1998. the picture is of a boy in his early teens, maybe twelve or thirteen, round face and full cheeks smiling just slightly at the camera. clearly needs an update.</p><p>next is a birth certificate. he was born in seoul national university hospital to parents with names mark had never seen before.</p><p>he digs in further. high school certificate, acceptance letter from seoul royal conservatory, photos of the same kid with a beautiful woman. </p><p>is he supposed to know who this is supposed to be? he’s not the best at memorizing faces and names, but mark thinks he would remember this name if it came up during the the talks and speculations about the next h–</p><p>“this is the late crown prince’s son.”</p><p>“<em> what</em>?”</p><p>“you should have eased him into it,” doyoung sighs. “poor kid looks like his soul just left his body.”</p><p>mark doesn’t appreciate being called a <em> kid </em> at twenty three. he’s tempted to remind the prime minister of his military title.</p><p>“t–that can’t– it doesn’t make sense that–” the crown prince had a child? the crown prince <em> he </em> knows?</p><p>granted, he was two years old when this donghyuck was born. but how did this remain a secret for as long as it had? how did his highness never mention his own son? does donghyuck–</p><p>“i know what you’re going to ask next,” lady bae reads his thoughts, but only after shooting doyoung a very elegant death glare. “no, he doesn’t know.” </p><p>“the prince had an affair with a common woman and was forbidden from marrying her. by the king’s own orders, all contact between them was abruptly cut off, and she never had the chance to tell his highness she was pregnant.</p><p>a few years ago, she reached out to the palace and met prince taeyong again, but when she asked donghyuck if he wanted to meet his father, he vehemently refused.”</p><p>“but he’s an adult now, correct? around twenty one years old, lived a common life,” mark says. <em> it was the king’s decision</em>, he internally yells, <em> you are under no position to question it</em>. “forgive me for my skepticism, but could someone like him adjust to his royal title and duties?”</p><p>most importantly, he has no idea his father was the fucking crown prince, meaning they don’t even have his approval.</p><p>“that’s where you come in, you need to bring him into the palace and, well–”</p><p>“we had all agreed that you’re most suited to be his aid and oversee his education,” doyoung finishes for her. “his highness and joo– er, lady bae told me about your upbringing. your father was also captain of the royal guard and a close confidant of the king’s?”</p><p>and his father, and his father before him. mark’s family had been in the palace for generations. behind each king was one of his ancestors in the shadows, devoting their lives to his protection and support. “right.”</p><p>“great, that’s exactly why we felt that you’d be the perfect candidate to prepare him for this life,” doyoung says. his voice carries a sort of finality that was beginning to make mark nervous. he barely said a word.  “our only candidate, if i’m being perfectly honest.”</p><p>“i–i’m sorry but as honored as i am,” <em> as absolutely baffled as i am</em>. are they really asking what he thinks they’re asking? “i’m not sure i’m appropriately trained to take on such a task.”</p><p>“it has to be you,” lady bae says. her eyes are bloodshot and she takes long, agonizing breaths to steady herself, but her voice firm. “you’re the only person who actually grew up on palace grounds, you might as well have been brought up as a crown prince yourself. if only–”</p><p>she bites her lips and stops there. </p><p>it’s one of those moments where a fiery rejection hangs at the tip of his tongue, where mark wants nothing more than to tell his superiors to go to hell. he’s not a fucking teacher, he’s captain of the royal guard and the last thing he’s equipped to do is teaching some stranger proper etiquette. a stranger who might not want to have anything to do with this life, and rightfully so. </p><p>but no matter how politely they ask, over tea in a place where he feels the safest, it’s not a request. this is a command from the king himself.</p><p>“i’m at your service.”</p><p> </p><p>♡♡♡</p><p> </p><p>the seoul winter is unforgivingly cold, but nothing too tough for mark to handle. donghyuck insists on eating outdoors because his fans would hound them both if they tried to sit in the food hall. </p><p>mark can’t tell if he’s lying.</p><p>“mark lee, interesting name,” donghyuck notes. he gets that a lot. “what do you do, mr. lee?”</p><p>is he being interviewed right now? “<em> captain</em>. i serve as part of the royal guard.” he’s not surprised by the confusion on donghyuck’s face, most common people don’t know much about the inner workings of the palace. “my job is to protect the royal family.”</p><p>
  <em> and drag them by their overgrown hair into the palace, apparently.  </em>
</p><p>donghyuck whistles. “fancy, kind of a show off actually.”</p><p>“and i’m sure you were playing a technically difficult piece with the practice room door open for no reason at all,” mark retorts. this might just be the right time to bring up the whole bare hand murder thing. the <em> audacity </em> he has. “that’s a surprisingly calm reaction.”</p><p>“but it was sooo beautiful,” donghyuck teases. mark hopes he thinks the pink flush spreading across his face is due to the cold. “kudos for recognizing it though. mom said you had a fancy job.” </p><p>“i–i– have some classical music knowledge.” he needs to dust off that old violin. “wait, your mother talked about me?”</p><p>donghyuck is making that weird face again. “sure she did. i mean, i had to know what to expect.”</p><p>huh. maybe he knows more than lady bae thought. “and what do you think so far?”</p><p>mark holds his breath for the answer. <em> this would be so easy if you just cooperated and came home with me. </em></p><p>“you’re a bit thorny and uptight, not exactly my type,” donghyuck says, giving him another up and down look. “but if i’m being completely honest you’re hot enough that i’m willing to put up with it. if you’re not looking for anything serious, i mean.”</p><p>“what?”</p><p>“was that too direct?” he asks, but without a hint of shame. “woah, you’re beet red.”</p><p>donghyuck rests a hand on his cheek, and his cold fingers send a chill down mark’s spine. he doesn’t dare move though. they don’t break eye contact, and donghyuck looks at him in a way reminiscent of an animal eyeing it’s prey. mark feels….what’s the word? uh. objectified.</p><p>“uhm, donghyuck. what exactly do you think i’m here for?” he finally gathers the guts to ask the question before donghyuck gets any closer. because that’s the <em> last thing </em> he wants him to do.</p><p>“not marriage, hopefully,” donghyuck scoffs. “mom said she was setting me up with someone. she’s always like, you should put your hands on something other than that goddamn piano. can you believe it? who talks to their child like that? i’m a nationally renowned–”</p><p>by now, mark knows that if he doesn’t pull the brakes on this barely coherent stream of conscience, donghyuck is never going to shut up. “i’m not your blind date!” </p><p>donghyuck takes his hands off mark’s face like it was scalding hot, which, to his credit, it was a little bit.</p><p>for the first time since they met, donghyuck is rendered speechless. the silence stretches between them, both staring in opposite directions and praying for the earth to swallow them.</p><p>how the fuck is he supposed to tell him that his father died now? </p><p>mark sheepishly puts his sunglasses back on. he feels a little safer from donghyuck’s piercing eyes. “i was actually sent here by the king’s orders.”</p><p>“o–oh. i was invited to play for him once,” donghyuck says, all the smug confidence in his voice vanishing into the cold wind. “i won a competition when i was like, sixteen or seventeen? i was really nervous bu–”</p><p>“he’s your uncle,” mark spits out impatiently. </p><p>“huh?”</p><p>“the late prince taeyong is your estranged father,” he continues, still looking away. the feeling of donghyuck’s hand on his face is still fresh and it’s throwing him for a loop. “you’ve been selected as the next heir to the throne and i’m here to bring you to the palace.”</p><p>“mark….” donghyuck’s voice is fainter.</p><p>“your highness?”</p><p>“please tell me you’ve actually been sent to kill me instead,” he pleads. “please.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you so much for reading! as always if you've enjoyed reading this and want to read more please consider dropping a comment as they are my greatest motivator to keep writing! </p><p>you can also come talk to me on <a href="https://curiouscat.me/puppylove">cc</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SUMMERUNLT">twitter</a> ♡♡♡♡</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>